Title: Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana De Rosnay
Published: June 2007
Published By: St. Martin's Press
Format Read: Ebook, Kobo
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Read: December 23 2015
Rating: 4/5
10 year old Sarah had a happy childhood growing up with her
younger brother in the city of Paris. But things would never be the same again
after the summer of 1942. Life began to change when prohibitions against Jewish
people were set in place. She and her family could no longer enjoy many of the
things they used to. Or go to the places they once loved. Then they were
required to wear yellow stars on their clothing. She didn’t understand why
people had begun to treat them differently. Then late one night her family was
awoken to loud bangs on their door. At just 4 years old Sarah’s brother was
scared so she convinced him to hide in their secret cupboard until it was safe
for her to let him out. Little did they know that Sarah and her parents would
be arrested that night and taken away from their home. Known as the Vel’ d’Hiv’
roundups, Paris’ Jewish residents were arrested by the city’s own police force
and kept in a local arena before being sent off to concentration camps. It
marks one of the darkest events in the country’s history.
Meanwhile in present day Paris, Julia Jarmond, a journalist
is given the task of reporting on the 60th anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv’
roundups and her research would lead her to uncover a dark family secret.
I am always a little bit apprehensive when reading a book
about the holocaust. I anticipate them to be long, heart wrenching stories that
often leave terrifying images in my mind, long after the last page. In the case
of Sarah’s Key, it was just as heart wrenching as I expected. However it wasn’t a
long as I thought it would be. At only 293 pages, I flew through this story. It
was a real page turner in that I just had to find out what happened to Sarah.
The dual time periods carried the mystery of Sarah and her
family throughout the book. It was as interesting for me to read of how Julia
uncovered the mystery through her research as it was from Sarah’s point of
view. Although I admit I was a little bit disappointed that this dual time
period didn’t carry on throughout the entire book.
De Rosnay’s comparison of pre-arrest Sarah and present day
Zoe (Julia’s daughter) really showed a change in time and maturity over the
years. At 10 years old Sarah was a sheltered child, who enjoyed playing with
her dolls. Meanwhile modern day Zoe, at 11 carried herself with more maturity and
responsibility of a teenager.
I had some trouble relating to Julia and the decisions she
made. Her character was very troubled, but I did sympathize with her and the
course her life was taking.
As mentioned in the book, the Vel d’Hiv’ roundups of 1942
isn’t really acknowledged by many Parisians. In fact many of the city’s
residents don’t even know it happened. The fact that this author tackled such a
topic, makes this book a very important piece of literature.
Overall I thought Sarah’s Key was a solid read with a story
that needs to be told. I would recommend it to people who are interested in
learning about the holocaust, especially with a Paris setting. This would also
make for a great book club choice, as it will open a lot of opportunities for
discussion.
Nice review! I liked this book though I thought the historical part with Sarah was better than the modern storyline with Julia. I agree that it is important that the author shared the story of the Vel d'Hiv round up. I had never heard of it till I read this book.
ReplyDeleteHave you read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah? It is also set in France during WWII. It was my favorite book of 2015.
Thank you Christina.
DeleteNo I haven't read The Nightingale yet, but I would like to. I read Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden a couple of years ago and couldn't put it down. Have you read that book?
I just bought this one and am really looking forward to it. I always find stories set in that period to be eye-opening and heart wrenching. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAlly @ The Scribbling Sprite
I hope you enjoy it. Are you planning on reviewing it for your blog?
DeleteThanks for stopping by Ally.